Indy Eleven Opens NASL Fall Season with 1-1 Draw at New York Cosmos

Fifth Tie in as Many Meetings with Spring Season Champs Pushes Indy into Fourth Place on NASL’s Overall Table;
Forward Wojciech Wojcik Scores First Goal of Season to Help Indy to Hard-earned Road Point

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (Sunday, July 5, 2015) – Indy Eleven and the New York Cosmos were fit to be tied for the fifth time in as many career meetings, as goals by Indy’s Wojciech Wojcik and New York’s Walter Restrepo forced a 1-1 draw at Shuart Stadium at Hofstra University.  With a point gained tonight Indy Eleven climbed into fourth place – and into playoff positioning – in the combined season standings.

The Cosmos started the match on strong footing, controlling possession in the opening 15 minutes. Their best opportunity of the half would come in the 19th minute when Leo Fernandes intercepted an errant pass from an Indy defender and played Mads Stokkelien out to his left. Stokkelien took a touch and fired on goal, but Indy Eleven goalkeeper Kristian Nicht was able to parry the shot wide.

Indy Eleven would weather the initial storm and take the lead through Wojcik in the 26^th minute.  Indy Eleven midfielder Dragan Stojkov’s pressure on Jimmy Mulligan's clearance attempt forced the ball to pop up high and into the area – and into the path of Wojcik, who connected flush on a full volley from 12 yards out to put Indy ahead.

The goal gave Indy some life, as the visitors nearly made it 2-0 less than ten minutes later. Midfielder Dylan Mares crossed a free kick to the far post, where forward Duke Lacroix sent a header on goal, forcing Cosmos netminder Jimmy Maurer to backtrack and make a great save, popping the ball over the bar.

After Lacroix's chance play would even out, but the dangerous opportunities would dry up, sending Indy into the locker rooms with the lead at the half.  The second half had a similar start to the first, with Indy rarely controlling the ball in the Cosmos half in the first 10 minutes.

However, the run of play was slowed by fouls and injuries, chopping up play significantly in the even affair.  Sámuel Caceres and Cory Miller collided going up for a header, and Indy’s Miller remained down for a few minutes before coming off under own power and remaining in the game. The match was also delayed when Eleven midfielder Brad Ring was bloodied after taking a boot to the face from Marcos Senna after the two fell to the ground on a challenge in midfield.

Lacroix had two prime opportunities to extend Indy Eleven's lead. First, in the 71^st minute the striker danced between a few Cosmos defenders, and his shot on goal forced Maurer to make a strong save. Two minutes later Lacroix found himself in on a breakaway, but as he dribbled around Maurer his touch took him too far outside, and the Cosmos were able to recover and clear the danger.

Indy Eleven’s inability to make it 2-0 would come back to bite the visitors, as Restrepo drew the Cosmos level in the 78^th minute. Restrepo took a through ball into the right side of the Indy area and fired on net, with Nicht making the initial save at his left post. However, the rebound shot right back at Restrepo and deflected off his head and into the goal to level the score at 1-1.

The Cosmos continued to pour on the attack in search of a winner, and it looked like Sebastián Guenzatti found it in the 88th minute. Guenzatti was open at the back post and stuck out a leg to tap in a cross from Marcos Senna. The linesman did not raise his flag for offside, but as the Cosmos celebrated referee Mathieu Bordeau consulted with his assistant. After the two talked, Bordeau called back the goal, keeping things level at Shuart Stadium.  After five minutes of stoppage time the tense second half came to a close, the night ending with a share of the spoils once again between the two sides, just as their first four meetings had. 

Indy Eleven will continue Fall Season action this Saturday, July 11, when it returns to IUPUI’s Carroll Stadium to welcome the Carolina RailHawks (7:30 p.m. ET kickoff, live on WISH-TV 8, ESPN3.com and Exitos Radio 1590 AM).  Tickets on “All Things Eleven” Night at “The Mike” on Saturday remain available and can be purchased online at www.IndyEleven.com, and a special $11 ticket & corndog combo is also available while supplies last at http://corndogs.indyeleven.com.

QUOTE SHEET – INDY ELEVEN INTERIM HEAD COACH TIM REGAN

Overall thoughts on the match:
“We were satisfied with the effort, and we won’t complain about getting a point on the road against the Spring Season champion. But at the same time there are moments in the game where we should score a goal and start to put the game away potentially and see how it plays out over the last 20 to 30 minutes. So there’s definitely a little disappointment, too.”

On Indy Eleven’s defensive effort tonight:
“There were some moments where we were out-passed, which New York can do, but the defensive effort back to front and the ability to back each other up and make plays was just great throughout the 90 minutes.”

On the young forward pairing of Wojciech Wojcik and Duke Lacroix:
“I’m really proud of both of them on their effort. On Woj taking his chance in the first half – you don’t get many moments like that in a game where a ball sits up for you. Finishing that chance is what good forwards need to do.  And in Duke, sure we want him to finish a couple of those plays, but he’s also creating those plays and making good runs to make things happen.

“So there are positives to take away even though we’re still disappointed we could have had more goals in the end.  In terms of making the play and also working together, they are still learning themselves and their teammates. So there’s a learning curve for everybody, as there were a couple of different combinations of players that were used tonight.”

NASL Fall Season – Match #1
New York Cosmos  1 : 1  Indy Eleven
Sunday, July 5, 2015
James M. Shuart Stadium – Hempstead, NY
Attendance: 3,647

Indy Eleven records:  
Fall Season: 0W-1D-0L, 1 pt.; 5^th place
Combined Season: 3W-5D-3L, 14 pts.; 4^th place

New York Cosmos records:
Fall Season: 0W-1D-0L, 1 pt.; 6^th place
Combined Season: 5W-6D-0L, 21 pts.; 2^nd place

Scoring Summary:
IND: Wojciech Wojcik (unassisted) 26’
NYC: Walter Restrepo (unassisted) 78’

Discipline Summary:
NYC: Sebastian Guenzatti (caution) 67’
NYC: Danny Szetela (caution) 72’
IND: Dragan Stojkov (caution) 77’
IND: Brad Ring (caution) 85’
IND: Cory Miller (caution) 90’

Indy Eleven (4-4-2):  Kristian Nicht; Marco Franco, Cory Miller, Erick Norales (Capt.), Kyle Hyland; Dragan Stojkov (Brian Brown 89’), Brad Ring, Dylan Mares, Don Smart (Victor Pineda 74’); Duke Lacroix, Wojciech Wojcik (Charlie Rugg 68’)

Eleven Bench: Keith Cardona (GK), Greg Janicki, Judson McKinney, Daniel Keller

New York Cosmos (4-4-2): Jimmy Maurer; Jimmy Mulligan, Samuel Caceres, Carlos Mendes (Capt.), David Diosa; Sebastian Guenzatti, Marcos Senna, Danny Szetela, Leo Fernandes (Walter Restrepo 58’); Mads Stokkelien (Ruben Bover 69’) Lucky Mkosana (Raul 76’)

Cosmos Bench: Kyle Zobeck (GK), Hunter Freeman, Hunter Gorskie, Adam Moffat